One of the quieter developments in Oklahoma State’s secondary is starting to look a lot more meaningful: Kollin Lewis is stacking good weeks and pushing for a permanent role.
The former North Texas cornerback, one of nearly 20 ex-Mean Green players who followed Eric Morris to Stillwater, had his biggest workload yet in Saturday’s 42-28 win over UCF. Lewis was on the field for 56 plays, a season high, and he got his second start of the year. To make that alignment work, Oklahoma State moved LaDainian Fields to left cornerback and kept Mo Horn out of the lineup.
That might have looked like a one-week adjustment when Lewis started against Oregon, but this time the situation feels different. If Pro Football Focus grades tell the story, Lewis has earned a real shot to keep the job.
The trend line is hard to miss. After opening the season with 24 plays against Tulsa, Lewis has seen his workload climb week by week, outside of the Murray State game. He played 37 snaps against Oregon, 41 against West Virginia and then jumped to 56 against UCF.
His grades have moved in the same direction. Lewis opened with a 46.9 overall defensive grade against Tulsa, then climbed to 50.5 against Oregon, 63.4 against Murray State, 65.1 against West Virginia and 72.2 against UCF.
His coverage numbers tell the same story: 43.4 against Tulsa, then 52.0, 62.9, 64.3 and finally 72.1 against UCF. That was his best-graded game of the season.
Horn’s season has looked steadier for most of the year. His overall defensive and coverage grades were both at 63 or better in his first four games, and he spiked into the 80s against Murray State. But against UCF, those numbers fell hard - 44.3 overall and 42.5 in coverage.
The numbers behind their target rates also help explain the shift. Horn has been targeted 13 times this season and allowed 10 catches. He has two pass breakups and two penalties, including a costly pass interference call early against UCF.
Lewis has been targeted 12 times and given up only five completions. He has one pass breakup and one penalty, and that flag also came against UCF.
Horn still has the edge in total snaps, 147 to Lewis’ 132, even though Horn has made three of the five starts. But with Lewis’ snap count rising and his coverage grade tracking upward, Oklahoma State may have found a corner who is making it hard to take him off the field.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Faces A Big 12 Test That Could Expose One Edge
Oklahoma State heads into a tricky Big 12 road test with plenty still hanging in the balance, as a matchup with No. 18 Houston looms as the kind of conference game that can shake up the chase for a Big 12 Championship Game berth. The Cowboys are ranked No. 20, which puts both teams squarely in the national conversation and adds a little extra weight to a meeting that already has postseason feel.
For Oklahoma State, the challenge is more than just beating a top-25 opponent. Houston brings the kind of profile that can punish a team if it loses focus, and the Cowboys will need to handle the full scope of the assignment if they want to keep their place in the race. With both teams carrying real stakes into the game, this one has the look of a November test that could reveal where Oklahoma State really stands. [Read more 🡒]
Drew Mestemaker Is Giving Oklahoma State Fans A New Reason To Dream
Drew Mestemakers rise has started to draw attention well beyond Stillwater, and Oklahoma State fans have reason to notice. After a strong showing against UCF, when he threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns, the quarterback has found his name climbing in NFL Draft conversations. He also leads the Big 12 in passing yards per game, a reflection of how quickly he has turned production into legitimate buzz.
That buzz reached another level with a New York Giants scout on hand to watch him up close, a sign that the next stage is already being evaluated while the season is still unfolding. Analysts have praised Mestemakers potential, but the bigger question for Oklahoma State is how far his play can carry the Cowboys now, not just where it might place him later. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Is Starting To Look Like A Real Big 12 Problem
Oklahoma States latest surge kept rolling in Stillwater, where Mike Gundys team stretched its winning streak to four by knocking off UCF at Boone Pickens Stadium. The Cowboys looked increasingly comfortable in Big 12 play, leaning on a cleaner night from quarterback Drew Mestemaker and another busy, disruptive showing from linebacker Ethan Wesloski as the defense kept finding ways to tilt momentum.
Mestemaker gave Oklahoma State the kind of stability the offense has been chasing, while UCF quarterback Keyone Jackson put up points but also handed the Cowboys a huge swing when safety Evan Jackson turned a turnover into a touchdown the other way. For a team that spent the early part of the season searching for its footing, this is starting to feel like a group with enough balance and bite to make life difficult for the rest of the league. [Read more 🡒]